Why does AppleCare price vary so much?

[Durbrow]

I was about to purchased Apple Care for my MacBook Pro for $US 349 when I found that the educational and refurb price was MORE than $US 100 less. And this was on the Apple Store webpage in the U.S. Question: Why does the price of Apple Care vary so much?

[Lt Major Burns]

because it's not much more than intellectual property, they can offer huge discounts to education customers etc.

it's not like an iPod where the hardware costs almost as much to buy as it does to sell, where the profit margin is virtually nonexistent.

[simbalala]

You can find Applecare on eBay. I've read posts by people who've bought it there with no problems.